ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lie — to recline
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. vault — a safe
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. shower — rain
  12. hand — help
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spell — letters
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com